Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The government's position on climate change is well known and there is no need to rehearse that which the government has already announced and stated. But can I indicate that one of the reasons the government was so anxious to be able to come to an agreement on the Direct Action Plan was that we were committed to doing something for the environment which Labor and the Greens so steadfastly ensured we could not implement. Thanks to the crossbenchers, we were able to come to a landing on that and implement our Direct Action Plan.

I respect the President of the United States of America, but can I simply say that when it comes to emissions and the promises made by relevant countries I just have a look at the promises made and then that which has actually been achieved. Australia is one of the very few countries in the world that can hold its head high and say that it will achieve the targets which it signed up to, unlike some other countries.

So are we concerned to ensure that the least possible pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere? Of course we are. That is why we were so concerned to get our Direct Action Plan through the parliament, and thanks to the crossbenchers we have been able to achieve that. Can I also say that at all times we have said that, as a country that emits less than two per cent of the world's emissions, we would watch this space very closely and would seek to walk in lockstep with other countries once they decided on a particular course of action. If events develop, as have been asserted, we will be closely monitoring them and ensuring that the right decisions are taken at the right time. (Time expired)